See right through, and you do too
by LyraintheSky
Summary: Sometimes the best way to handle a bad day is letting someone else help you. (Post-Wake slice of life. Summary sucks as per usual.)


**Warning for brief dissociation. Just fyi, most of the mental stuff that isn't pseudo-magical is based at least in part on my own experiences, so apologies if it comes out a little strange. **

**Still working on the next chapter of Wake, promise, but this happened while I was doing practice snippets and I figured I'd share. Set post-Wake, so the interactions are a little different than in the main story, but the background is the same.  
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Shadow tromped through the canyon, fists clenched tighter than usual where they swung sharply at his sides. Not far behind him, Mephiles walked without much sound, though not particularly working to hide his presence. After a minute, Shadow spun to glare at him. "Will you stop following me?!"

Mephiles stopped walking, hands clasped behind his back and head tilted just so. "No."

Shadow huffed and turned to continue stomping forward. Mephiles followed.

They continued in silence for several minutes before Shadow stopped dead, Mephiles doing the same. "You're persistent today."

"If you say so."

Shadow humphed. "Very well then. If you're so eager." With that, he spun and threw a ball of chaos energy directly at Mephiles.

The dark being had anticipated this, and twirled out of the way with ease before tossing an energy ball of his own.

They danced with energy for a few minutes, alternately flinging blasts at each other and dodging the other's blasts or the rocks knocked loose by their fighting. At one point Mephiles managed to lose Shadow, slipping around the back of loose boulders and listening to the hedgehog's muttering grow increasingly frustrated. But staying hidden posed no strategic advantage considering the goal of this little game, and he returned to the open, hands glowing with energy. "What's the matter? Can't defeat your own shadow, Shadow?"

From the growl and crackle of quickly building chaos that followed, Shadow did not appreciate the taunt. He flung the unformed energy with a yell.

Mephiles merged with the shadows just long enough to reappear on a nearby boulder, looking at the crater formed on the rock wall behind where he'd been standing. _Note to self, tone it down just a bit_. He shook off the slight shakiness of a near miss and jumped back in, praying it wouldn't be too much longer now.

Fortunately that last blast seemed to have taken a lot out of Shadow. He still moved far faster than the average being, but he started using more punches and kicks and fewer chaos spears or pure energy attacks. Not, Mephiles thought as he dodged a kick that whistled by his ear, that it made things any easier. He couldn't gather his own energy very well with Shadow right there.

This in mind, he melted halfway and pulled himself up a rocky pillar before reforming. Hopefully he'd have time to charge up another blast before Shadow reached him.

Shadow barked something unflattering, turning rapidly to scan the area before he spotted Mephiles. He immediately charged, hover boots kicking into action as he zipped up the pillar.

Mephiles froze, the sound triggering something that had drifted just close enough to the surface to wake up, eyes going wide even as he no longer knew what he was seeing.

"-les. Mephiles!"

He jerked, realizing he was still on the pillar, but now Shadow was standing in front of him, expression visibly concerned. He shook his head and blinked a few times to clear the gummy dryness in his eyes. "Not a blackout."

Some of the vibrating tension left Shadow's frame, but he still looked worried as he reached back to dig in his quills. "I'm taking you home."

"That's not necessary, I can-"

"You're not teleporting after that," Shadow said. It was the borderline fear in his tone more than the command itself that made Mephiles fall silent.

Shadow pulled out his emerald and moved to take Mephiles' arm, then paused, a question in his eyes. Mephiles gave an exaggerated eye roll and held out his hand, pretending he didn't notice when Shadow sighed as he took it.

With a flash they were in the foyer, and Mephiles idly noted that it was good Silver wasn't around to scold them for that even as Shadow pulled him to sit on the couch. "Mother hen," he accused without heat, craning his neck to watch him go dig in the closet beneath the stairs.

Shadow snorted. "Hardly. I'd put Silver out of a job."

"True. Mama bear, then. Kill the bad things dead." That got him a very odd look, which was probably fair. He'd mostly said it for humor value.

Shadow pulled a couple blankets out and kicked the closet closed before walking the few steps necessary to drop them on Mephiles' head. "One of them is warm, one heavy," he said as Mephiles spluttered and pushed both blankets off. "Speaking of Silver, I'm contacting him now, considering he'd shoot me with my own gun if I left you alone right now."

Mephiles snorted, but that reminded him of his own concerns. "The timing of this incident was poor, but if there's anything-"

Shadow waved him away, his eyes going soft. "You helped a lot. Thank you. Truly, I just need a few hours to let my thoughts settle."

Mephiles scrutinized his expression, fully prepared to call on Sonic or Silver if he sensed any hint of deceit. But Shadow seemed genuine, so he just relaxed back into the couch and pulled the fluffier blanket over him.

Shadow looked down at his com, tapping away at the screen, then pausing for a moment before speaking. "Silver's out shopping. He says he'll be home soon."

Mephiles hummed and let his eyes fall closed. "How long was it?"

There was a beat of silence. "About a minute. Maybe two."

"Not too long, then."

"Any time is too long."

His eyes flicked open, lingering on Shadow long enough to consider his unusually tense posture before closing again. "Untrue. People tend to, what is it, 'zone out' for several seconds all the time and that's considered normal. But I will grant that I'd rather avoid these longer episodes myself."

There was a pause, then something brushed over his head, smoothing his quills with just enough pressure not to be unpleasant. He opened his eyes to see Shadow leaning over the back of the couch, watching him closely as his free hand unfolded the heavier blanket over him.

Mephiles blinked at him for a moment, then flushed and yanked both blankets over his head. He could still hear Shadow chuckling outside his cocoon. "You're such a child."

"Angsty teenager, thank you much."

That only made Shadow laugh harder.


End file.
